Exploring Israeli Innovation

Students to Meet Entrepreneurs and Tech Industry Leaders in Israel Over Winter Break

During Yeshiva University’s winter break, a select group of undergraduate students will take part in “Discovering Innovation in the Start-Up Nation,” a behind-the-scenes look at some of the most pioneering companies in Israel. The weeklong educational program will provide the students with an opportunity to learn about creativity, persistence and achievement from successful Israeli entrepreneurs.

From January 14 – 20, the student leaders will visit with more than 15 companies, organizations and labs that are advancing the fields of medicine, finance, artificial intelligence, security, agricultural development and disability inclusion, including Google, WeWork, Amazon R&D, CheckPoint, Vayyar, Similar Web, Elfi-Tech, Fortissimo Capital, OurCrowd, and accessibleGO, many of which are led or staffed by YU alumni living in Israel. They will also attend lectures on Jewish business ethics and explore the interplay between technological advancement and Jewish law.

“There is something special about Eretz Yisrael that fosters unparalleled creativity, allowing it to lead the way in numerous industries and shape our modern world. The goal of this trip is to expose the students to Israeli innovation on a grand scale so that they gain a better understanding of our nation’s storied tenacity and incomparable achievements and become inspired to actualize their own potentials,” said Stephanie Strauss, executive director of Yeshiva University in Israel.

“While it gives our students a leg up to meet with internationally acclaimed power players in a number of fields and discover ‘what’s out there,’ it’s even more important to us that the students return home motivated to explore within themselves and bring their aspirations to fruition.”

Other trip highlights will include a meeting at Jerusalem-based Hometalk, a wildly popular online platform for sharing home improvement tips; a visit to Bar Ilan University’s Ocular Motor and Visual Perception Laboratory; a tour of the Zomet Institute, a non-profit, public research institute dedicated to seamlessly merging Jewish law with modern life via technology; and a briefing from a staff sergeant in the IDF’s elite cyber security unit.